Phillies place 3.68 ERA pitcher on IL and call up 9.00 ERA lefty for Cubs series finale

Phillies place 3.68 ERA pitcher on IL and call up 9.00 ERA lefty for Cubs series finale originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Phillies have been shaking up their bullpen a lot lately, thanks in part to a pair of injuries to some righty relievers.

Jonathan Bowlan was first, as he landed on the injured list right at the start of the Chicago Cubs series, with Seth Johnson being called up. Chase Shugart took his place on Tuesday, and now, another righty reliever is landing on the injured list.

As the Phillies announced, righty Zach Pop has been placed on the injured list with a calf issue, while lefty Kyle Backhus has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his MLB roster spot for the Cubs series finale.

Phillies recall Kyle Backhus, place Zach Pop on IL

"Prior to tonight's game against the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies placed right-handed pitcher Zach Pop on the 15-day injured list (retro to 4/13) with a right calf strain. To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, left-handed pitcher Kyle Backhus was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA)," The Phillies announced Wednesday.

This roster move from the Phillies comes after a tough loss to the Cubs on Tuesday night, putting the Phillies back a game under .500 at 8-9.

But, with the Phillies going for the series win, they will be adding a familiar face to the bullpen while losing Pop for a bit of time due to a calf issue.

Pop posted a 3.68 ERA in seven outings across 7.1 innings of work for the Phillies this season before landing on the injured list.

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His most recent outing was as an opener, which saw Pop go two innings, allowing three hits and one run. Now, he's on the injured list.

Taking his spot in the bullpen is Backhus, the lefty with a funky delivery. So far this season, he has a 9.00 ERA across four appearances and 3.0 innings pitched.

He's given up one homer, three runs, and has struck out four batters. All three runs he allowed came on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers, and he was pulled to give Jhoan Duran the save chance for the first game of the season.

But, he's been shutting out opposing batters since then, and now will get another chance in the Majors as he looks to lower that 9.00 ERA mark. Pop will miss some time, while Backhus gets another MLB chance with the Phillies.

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